Russia Hopes U.S. Will Review Missile Defense Plans - Lavrov

[Purveyor]

Source: Ria Novosti

16/ 01/ 2009

MOSCOW, January 16 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow is hoping that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will review Russia's proposal for a collective Russian-American-European missile defense network, the Russian foreign minister said on Friday.

"We have noticed that President-elect Obama is willing to take a break on the issue of missile defense...and to evaluate its effectiveness and cost efficiency," Sergei Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow.

Moscow has strongly opposed the possible deployment by the U.S. of 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic as a threat to its security and nuclear deterrence. Washington says the defenses are needed to deter possible strikes from "rogue states."

"We hope that while studying the project, he will pay attention to the breakthrough proposals made by Russia in 2007 on the collective Russian-American-European network for monitoring the global risks of missile proliferation and joint measures to tackle these risks," the minister said.

Last November, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow would deploy Iskander missile systems in its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, sandwiched between NATO members Lithuania and Poland, in response to any deployment by Washington of elements of a missile defense shield in Europe.

Lavrov also said that Moscow is closely following statements made by possible future members of the Obama administration prior to his inauguration on January 20, reiterating that Russia is open for a dialogue on equal terms.

Russia-U.S. relations have been frayed by Washington's plans to deploy elements of a missile shield in Central Europe, Russia's five-day war with Georgia over South Ossetia last August, and NATO's eastward expansion.

"We are listening to and studying all statements made by people from Obama's circle, as well as the U.S. president-elect himself, and we are open for a dialogue on equal terms," the Russian minister said.

At a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Obama's choice for secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said she planned to work very closely with Russia on key economic, security, nonproliferation, and arms control issues.



Read more: http://en.rian.ru/world/20090116/119624290.html

[Hulk]

1. Am I way off on this???

I'm just wondering how the USA would take having Russian missiles set up in Venezuela, or Cuba, or some other nation outside our frontier? I'm thinking we would shit bricks!

What makes US think that we can install OUR missiles along the Russian frontier without them becoming stirred up??

Please explain, someone! I'm at a loss here.

[RC]

2. Think bu$h/cheney

"Who cares what you think."
As said by cheney from the Senate floor; "Go fuck yourself."